Night Driving Safety Tips for Truck Drivers

**pigpaw** · 05-06-2013

a nice trucking safety video for night driving. Keep safe drivers..

**Marie** · 05-06-2013

Originally Posted by pigpaw

a nice trucking safety video for night driving. Keep safe drivers..

thanks for the share, pigpaw.

**jacobh15** · 10-14-2013

Hey guys have a look at advantages and disadvantages of night driving

Disadvantages of Driving @ Night:
• Poorer Visibility! The visibility factor is down to less than half at night. However powerful your headlamps might be, they simply can't compete with the sun . Colour perception is reduced too, as headlights don't emit anywhere near as wide a light spectrum as the sun. You won’t see that nasty boulder in your path from as far away as during the day.

• Drowsiness – a top cause of accidents – is at its peak. Remember, we aren't a nocturnal breed; our body is hardwired to rest in the dark hours. Even if you are fresh yourself, do you really want to be sharing the road with a truck driver who has put in 18+ hours behind the wheel without sleep?

• Those driving with their high beams on can blind you on single lane highways (lesser of an issue on expressways though).

• Higher probability of Drunk Drivers. With no police enforcement to curb alcoholics on the highway, and a general tendency to drink in the evening, the night brings more drunkards on the road.

• Steeper crime rates. Crime is most rampant when there are lesser people around and the chance of getting caught is minimal. Indian highways have higher instances of criminal activity at night.

• Weak OEM headlamps! Many Indian cars just aren’t capable of cruising safely at night, due to their weak factory headlamps. Few car owners ever get around to upgrading their inadequate OEM bulbs.

• Several vehicles don't have properly functioning headlights, tail-lights and brake lamps. Combine this with reduced visibility in the dark, and it's a recipe for disaster. Think of the number of times you've heard of someone driving into a parked truck at night. That doesn't ever happen in the day.

• Poor medical support. Post-incident injury treatment is pathetically slow on Indian roads. The number of injured people who die between the accident time & them reaching the hospital is shockingly high. Medical support is slower at night when staff members are in shorter supply.

• Poorer breakdown support. If your car should suffer a mechanical failure, garages open for service will be few & far between.

• Difficult to find good places to eat. There aren't too many restaurants serving clean, hygienic food all through the night. The choice is limited.

• Not too many people on the road to ask directions from, in case you get lost.

Advantages of Driving @ Night:
• You’ll usually achieve a higher average speed, despite maintaining a lower top speed. Primary reason = Lesser traffic.

• Lower probability of bullock carts, three wheelers, cyclists & animals on the Highway.

• Cooler air = Better engine! The density of cool air is higher than hot air. Thus, you end up with a superior burn, resulting in better performance. The engine feels noticeably crisper at night.

• Higher fuel efficiency due to lesser traffic & cooler air.

• You can see a vehicle coming around a blind corner due to its headlamps (assuming the vehicle has its headlamps running).

• This is down to personal tastes, but I find night driving very enjoyable. The pleasure of empty roads, cooler weather, crisper engine, feeling one with the car and some nice music playing is unmatched. However, safety comes first and it's best to limit night driving to as little as possible.

thanks for reading
Jacob